Apple releases the eighth-generation iPad mini: 8.5-inch OLED display and A20 Pro chip, starting at $699
Apple has released the eighth-generation iPad mini, switching to an 8.5-inch OLED display and featuring the A20 Pro chip built on TSMC's 2nm process, with CPU performance up to 60% faster, GPU up to 2.7 times faster, and AI performance up to 4.5 times faster. The body thickness has been reduced to 5.4mm and the weight to 0.56 pounds, and it supports IP67 water and dust resistance, Wi-Fi 7, and 35W fast charging. The U.S. starting price has risen from $599 to $699, with pre-orders opening on October 28 and sales starting on November 6.
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The new eight-generation iPad mini unveiled today has a long list of new features and changes, as outlined in our all-in-one summary below.
Here is what is new for the iPad mini:
Larger, brighter, and more vivid 8.5-inch OLED display, up from 8.3-inch LCD display
↳ Up to 600 nits of SDR brightness, up from 500 nits ↳ Up to 1,200 nits of peak HDR brightness ↳ 60Hz still, no ProMotion
Anti-glare nano-texture display option for 256GB and 512GB models (+$100 upgrade)
Extended display mode support on external display (requires iPadOS 27.2)
Approximately 15% thinner and lighter
↳ 5.4mm thickness, down from 6.3mm ↳ 0.56-pound weight, down from 0.65 pounds (Wi-Fi-only model)
A20 Pro chip built with TSMC's 2nm process
↳ Up to 60% faster CPU performance ↳ Up to 2.7× faster GPU performance ↳ Up to 4.5× faster AI performance ↳ 5-core CPU, 7-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine (128GB and 256GB models) ↳ 6-core CPU, 7-core GPU, and dual 16-core Neural Engine (512GB model) ↳ Neural Accelerators in each GPU core
New Acoustic Display speaker system with no speaker holes
↳ This contributes to IP67-rated water and dust resistance
12-megapixel Center Stage is now positioned for landscape video calls, rather than usage in portrait orientation
Adaptive True Tone flash for improved photos and document scanning
Fast charging support: up to 50% in 30 minutes with a 35W or higher adapter
Apple's N1 chip with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, up from Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3
↳ N1 chip improves AirDrop and AirPlay performance and reliability
Apple's C2 modem with up to 50% faster cellular data speeds (cellular models)
Two color options: Midnight and Starlight
$699 starting price in the U.S., up from $599
The new iPad mini has a similar overall design as the previous model. It retains a Touch ID button on the top edge of the device, a USB-C port, a 12-megapixel rear Wide camera, two microphones, and the same advertised battery life.
The new iPad mini can be pre-ordered starting Wednesday, October 28 at the very precise time of 10:10 a.m. Pacific Time, and it will begin arriving to customers and launch in Apple Stores and at select other retailers on Friday, November 6. Related Roundup: iPad miniBuyer's Guide: iPad Mini (Coming Soon)Related Forum: iPad